2017 began with the promise of planning for a larger fleet: at the end of 2016, the Navy announced a 355-ship requirement, and the incoming Trump Administration expressed its support for a larger military and a heftier Navy. Few concrete steps were taken this year, though, to begin a buildup – though many programs that will be pivotal to the 355-ship fleet of the future reached significant programmatic milestones in 2017.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is towed by tug boats to its new homeport in Newport News, Va., on Aug. 4, 2017. George Washington changed homeports to support the ship’s refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) maintenance at Newport News Shipyard. US Navy photo.

Aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) began a 48-month Refueling and Complex Overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding earlier this month after serving for seven years as the forward-deployed carrier in Japan, creating a somewhat unique work package for the Navy’s sixth-ever RCOH. Read More →

Further delays in receiving a Fiscal Year 2017 budget could put at risk many Navy efforts, including the refueling and complex overhaul of USS George Washington (CVN-73), similar to the RCOH for USS Theodore Roosevelt above. U.S. Navy photo.

Lawmakers will not pass a Fiscal Year 2017 budget before the Trump administration takes office and will instead extend the current continuing resolution that is funding the government at FY 2016 levels. The move could prove problematic for the Navy in several ways. Read More →

Capt. Ron Ravelo, Commanding Officer of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), cheers along with his Sailors after the successful testing of Lincoln’s catapult on the flight deck on Jan. 28, 2016. Lincoln is currently undergoing a Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding. US Navy photo.

Lawmakers avoided a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution Wednesday night to fund the government through Dec. 9. The Navy has planned for and can mitigate the effects of, as long as Congress passes a proper Fiscal Year 2017 budget by Dec. 9. Read More →

Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 fill the hangar bay of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) to full capacity for the first time in more than three months, in March 2008. US Navy photo.

The Navy will ask Congress for permission to deactivate a carrier air wing, which will save money and boost readiness in other air wings. Read More →

The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS George Washington (CVN 73) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) are pierside at Naval Air Station North Island while conducting a hull-swap on Aug. 18, 2015. US Navy photo.

SAN DIEGO – Fresh with minor repairs that delayed its planned departure by four days, the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) pulled away from North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, Calif., for a notable deployment. Read More →